Jim Inglebright doesn't mind getting beaten up behind the wheel, as long as his car remains intact.

The local driver is making his annual trek to Sonoma Raceway this weekend. Today, he will climb into his stock car for the Carneros 200 NASCAR Pro Series West race.

Inglebright has long since given up on full seasons of stock-car events, primarily due to the financial drain of big-time racing. But he points out he is in top racing shape, and has high hopes for today's race.

One of the biggest reason for his optimism is his track record ... Inglebright remains the only three-time winner of the annual prelude to the Toyota/Save Mart 350 NASCAR Sprint Cup race, which will be held on Sunday. The Vacaville resident won the event, which has undergone a variety of name changes, in 2000-2002.

But Inglebright's track record goes beyond Sonoma's main track. He currently works on his game by periodically running Go-Kart races on the raceway's smaller layouts.

"It's an awesome workout," the 52-year-old exclaimed. "I'm probably as sharp as I was 10 years ago. I'm not a gym rat, but I go out to the track once a week and beat myself up. That keeps me sharp.

"I'm not competing in this (Pro Series West) full-time like I once did, but most of those races are circle tracks anyway. I love road courses, and that's what I'm getting in the Go-Karts. I figure after 10 laps of practice I'll be up to speed. I'm loaded for bear. I want to win it."

Inglebright got his 10 laps of practice, and then some, as the Pro Series West event held two sessions on Friday. Qualifying will be held today at 9 a.m., with the 64-lap event set to start at 12:30 p.m.

Inglebright could be a factor, even with some NASCAR Sprint Cup drivers planning to compete in the Pro Series West event.

Some of them obviously are getting more track time on the 12-turn road course before Sunday's main event.

The more the merrier, as far as Inglebright is concerned.

"It's always fun to run with the top drivers," he said. "I've competed at all levels, and I know what I'm doing. It's actually nice to have guys in there who know what they're doing."

Put Inglebright in that category as well. The veteran loves the combination of twists and turns, left and right, and even the 160 feet in elevation change around the track.

"The shifting is different ... the RPMs are different ... the braking points are different," he admitted. But as soon as I get up to speed ... like I said, maybe 10 laps ... it's muscle memory."

The racing veteran also figures his recent work with Go-Karts will pay dividends. He finished second in Sonoma in his most recent race, on Father's Day.

"It's harder than stock cars," he said. "Plus, it's fun. At Sonoma, they can have five or six different track configurations, so it's never boring."

Now he's back in Sonoma for a more familiar test. Even his car will have some familiarity, with Jelly Belly sponsoring for the day. Inglebright also has backing from Federated Auto Parts, and daughter Jordan of Vacaville's Essef Apparel has provided a helping hand as well.

One of the big differences this year will come once the race begins. Instead of having risky pit stops with crews that aren't used to road courses, the race will be broken up into two halves, with all of the drivers coming into the pits after 32 laps.

"That's too bad for us, because we can make up a lot of time in the pits," he said. "But I definitely understand the thinking. There's some liability with hot pit stops on a road course most people aren't familiar with.

"We'll just have to get to the front as fast as we can and then stay there."